YouTube announced on Tuesday that it is bringing back music by artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar, and others for users in the US, days after their removal from the video-streaming platform due to a legal rights dispute. It claims to have reached an agreement with the for-profit performance-rights organisation Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC), which collects and distributes royalties to songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), YouTube says that it has reached an agreement with the SESAC. Content from artists the organisation’s catalogue that was previously blocked will be restored on the video-streaming platform over the next few days.
If you’re in the United States ➡️ ️we’re happy to share that YouTube has reached a deal with SESAC. Content (that was previously blocked) will be restored across YouTube services over the next day or two. We appreciate all your patience 🙏
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 30, 2024
On Saturday, YouTube announced that it had failed to reach an agreement with the for-profit performance-rights organisation “despite its best efforts”. Thus, music by artists such as Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Mariah Carey, and R.E.M. was blocked for users in the US, in line with the copyright law. When attempting to play tracks, users faced the following error message, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
Despite this, media reports suggested that YouTube had actually removed the content ahead of the expiration of its deal which was set for next week, perhaps as sort of a negotiating tactic.
Following the removal of music, users flocked to social media platforms such as X to complain about the issue. While several of them complained about YouTube ruining their playlists due to songs getting removed, others threatened they would cancel their premium subscriptions. A user even asked for a refund or compensation but was met with disappointment.
At the time, YouTube said that discussions were continuing on the matter in the hopes of striking a deal, and the latest announcement brings good news as music by the aforementioned artists will soon be brought back.